Jerusalem: The Swedish heavy metal pioneers

Successful concerts with Petra and a searing ICC-distributed album didn't quite prepare Tony Cummings for his memorable encounter with the music and ministry of JERUSALEM.

Jerusalem

I stand in a field at Flevo festival, at the back of a crowd, watching
7,000 or 8,000 people pray. From the Flevo festival stage Ulf
Christiansson, the guitarist, songwriter and singer with Sweden's
premier Christian rock band Jerusalem, prays for those who, moments
before, had raised their hands acknowledging that they wanted to
become Christians.

Jerusalem have
returned to the Christian music arena having more-or-less quit in
1987. Before that they were pioneers for both Christian rock in
Sweden, being that country's first Christian rock band, and Christian
heavy metal where they gained worldwide release with such albums as
'Warrior', 'Live In The USA' and 'Dancing On The Head Of The Serpent'.
But while glittering prizes from America's hyped-up Christian rock
scene beckoned, the members retreated to the Word Of Life church in
Uppsala outside Stockholm. Ulf Christiansson made occasional musical
sortees (the praise orientated solo album The Lifestyle From Above')
while he preached at churches throughout Sweden. The other band
members worked with music in different ways at the church in Uppsala.
In September 1993 the band moved with their members from Uppsala to
Gothenburg.

"It's like coming home again," Ulf told journalist Steffan Gustafsson.
"The pastor at the church we go to is an old friend of mine, and it's
great to have a church that's behind you one hundred per cent.
Gothenburg is my hometown and I'm very happy to be back." In 1993 the
revitalised Jerusalem, Ulf Christiansson (vocals,
guitar); Reidar I Paulsen (keyboards); Peter Carlsohn (bass); and
Michael Ulvsgard (drums) went into a recording studio. They had no
songs and no idea as to what the results might be, only a passionate
belief that the Spirit was going to bring them songs and ideas. He
did. The resulting album 'Prophet' contains at least one number that
went on to tape direct from the band's Spirit-led jam.

I'm speaking to a record executive. It's past midnight; we're both
dog-tired and are awaiting transport to take us off the Flevo festival
site. He tells me he isn't a charismatic but a strange experience had
happened to him a couple of hours before. "I went into the dressing
room just before Jerusalem were about to go on stage. They
were praying. There was such a sense of the presence of God in that
room that tears started to come to my eyes."

The question Jerusalem have been asked over and over
again since their "comeback" and their successful European tour with
Petra is 'What made you decide to get together again and play after
seven years?' "The vision of Jerusalem and the calling have never died,"
said Ulf Christiansson. "But we wanted to put it down totally and let
God pick it up. If he didn't, it would be over. Then, in April 1992, I
felt that I had to get out to the people again. I felt clearly how God
spoke to me and I prayed over it for a long time before I got the
other members together in December the same year. I didn't know if all
would be in, but I knew that Jerusalem would be back. Even though the
band members haven't been together that much in Uppsala, I got a
unanimous response from all, including wives and children, which I see
as somewhat of a miracle after all these years. There's a tremendous
need for bands to stand up and do what we do. We also feel it's our
mission - what God set us out to do. I don't see it as a nostalgia
trip. The whole thing feels very new and fresh. Some people were kind
of concerned that we would be all mellow now playing some kind of
country music, but we have moved forward. I don't think we would have
made a comeback if we didn't feel we had anything new to come up
with."

The title of the band's awesome comeback album is an intentional
contrast to the spreaders of misinformation that bombard us in the
Western world. Explained Ulf, "We decided to call it 'Prophet',
because today there are so many self-proclaimed 'prophets' trying to
manipulate you through music, New Age, television and so on. We live
in a time of great confusion. We want to point out that the only truth
and the only prophet is Jesus Christ, and that's something humanity
really needs to get back to. 'City On Fire' is about a city that
starts to burn and you can see the fire from a distance, how it grows
all the time. Then I sing that it's not an ordinary fire. It's another
kind of flame and when you come close the fire will start burning in
you. It's about having the fire of the Holy Spirit. Truth' is [based]
around the concept of the album title. It's about Jesus being the only
truth and you have to stick to the truth. 'Next Year In Jerusalem' is about a
Jewish guy growing up in Berlin in the 1930s. He meets a girl and they
get married and have two kids. One day the Gestapo comes and takes
them away. It's very strong and emotional and clocks in over nine
minutes.

"'Soldier' is about us being soldiers. It's not really about warfare.
It's kind of soft and gentle. 'Waiting Zone' is about AIDS, where
society tries to deal with the problem from the wrong end. They seem
to believe that all we have to do is educate people and the problem
will go away. We have to deal with the problem where it starts. Our
lifestyles are what has created this problem, which is something
nobody talks about.

"The first single, 'Tomorrow', is about Christ carrying the cross to
Golgotha. The single has a bonus track called 'Coming Down', about a
guy lying helpless on the street and how we as Christians try to help
him in different ways. [But] it's not until we come down from our high
horses and to his level that we can really help him. There's kind of
two sides to this story: 'He was living far above, but he came down to
save us.' That's how we as Christians should be. Our purpose is to
come with the message that Jesus is alive and that he can change
people's lives. Most people you can't reach with slogans and Bible
verses. It takes more engagement - both social and spiritual - more
heart and commitment to those you want to reach. Jesus had that and it
was something that the Pharisees always attacked him for."

In interviews the band talk about a new music. But what is this new
music? "A new heart. I believe it's basically more about motives than
music styles. We are here to glorify God, not ourselves. I'm not
trying to put anybody down, but I believe that we as Christians have
never really been ready to pay the price in full. As Christian
musicians we have sometimes been too concerned seeing what is popular
and following the trends. I don't think you can take the Guns 'N'
Roses sound and put Jesus in it. It is to go the wrong way - and then
I'm not talking about music styles. I'm talking about the inspiration
source. If we really want to win the world for Jesus with music, we
must have God as our main inspiration and not let a specific band or
sound be what we build our ministry on. I think God is very modern and
creative and that he has something new to give musically as well. But
then we must seek him first, not the other way around.

"We have done our thing and we have had good intentions. I don't
question people's motives and intentions, but I believe that there is
a deeper dimension in really being called by God. And that is
something I have personally learned over the last couple of years. To
be called by God as a musician is something to take very seriously.
It's just as serious as being called to be a missionary or a pastor. I
think we really have to come to terms with ourselves, why we do it. If
we just do it because we think it's cool and we like heavy metal or
whatever, we're really doing it for our own purpose. In John 12:24
Jesus says, 'I tell you the truth, unless a kernel of wheat falls to
the ground and dies, it remains only a single seed. But, if it dies,
it produces many seeds.' I believe every Christian has to go through
such a process - whether they are musicians or not. It's a very
painful and hard process. The process is about getting to the point
where you don't care if you play in a rock band or doing your thing,
whatever it is. The only thing that matters in your life is your
relationship with God. Then we'll have a potential that's enormous;
and we let God work from there. We have to ask what God wants in our
life. Then we'll have the new music, a music that's very powerful
spiritually. Then what we shall have in Christian concerts is power -
the power of God - and it can be manifested in so many ways. Where
people literally can see God's power... We have to learn to listen to
what the Holy Spirit says. Sometimes it can tell us to be quiet, and
sometimes to witness very intensely. I believe that testimony is
important. We must use the platform God has given us to glorify him,
not ourselves."

I've done hundreds, no, thousands, of interviews down the years. And
at Christian events large and small I've done many public interviews
asking celebrities, usually musicians, what they're doing, what they
think about this and that while a crowd looks on. But this one is
different, very different and my mouth is dry and I feel my stomach
turning somersaults. I'm interviewing Jerusalem in the Dorpskerk (a round wooden
building that looks like a beer hall) at the Flevo festival. The place
is literally packed to the wooden rafters. But it's not the size of
the crowd. Nor any potential language problems - the band's Swedish,
the crowd's Dutch, I'm English - that makes me nervous. It's the fact
that the Lord has spoken to me before the interview and told me not to
ask standard music questions ("Tell me about the new album", "Why the
change of style from metal to something more U2-ish?", "What are your
plans for the future?"). The Lord has told me he'll lead the questions
as he directs. So with each question a silent prayer from me goes up
that I'll know what I am to ask and where I am to direct this
conversation. It's terrifying, I feel one step away from looking like
an unprepared, incoherent fool. But I blurt out questions. We talk
about salvation, a deeper experience of the Holy Spirit, abandoning
everything for the sake of the cross. I feel a sense of the presence
of God. Many do. Afterwards the band are enveloped in a throng of
fans, searchers, Christians. I leave my most nerve-wracking interview
elated and exhausted.

Ulf Christiansson is optimistic about the potential for Christian
music to make a profound impact on our culture. "I think record
companies are not as reluctant towards Christian bands anymore. People
are more interested in spiritual things now - both in a positive and a
negative sense. I believe Christian music will have a much more
powerful impact in the world than it has had before, but it will not
happen until we've realised the need of accountability (the church and
the rest of the body of Christ) and submit to what God has called us
to do. Of course, we shall have the freedom to do what we have in our
hearts, but we need to start at the right end."

When asked in a recent interview in an American magazine for a closing
comment Ulf Christiansson responded, "Matthew 6:33: 'Seek first his
kingdom and his righteousness and all these things will be given to
you as well.'

So, there you have it: the band is going out to the people again with
some heavy music, but different; with the same bold message, but with
mercy and grace; with the same musicians, just a little older."

The opinions expressed in this article are
not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed
views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may
not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a
later date.

About Tony Cummings

Tony Cummings is the music editor for Cross Rhythms website and attends Grace Church in Stoke-on-Trent.

Reader Comments

I have recently started researching my old forgotten
heritage I had lost. REZ, Whitecross, Jerusalem, Pastor
Bob's band Deliverance ADD NAUSEAM!

I am sick of modern so called Christian "worship" junk
music. My gift of discernment of spirits and daily searching
of scriptures makes me shudder of anything that is not pure
in attitude and delivery of music, but also clearly
theologically sound. Frankly I find Glen Kiser and Wendy
still cleanest in delivering Love message of Jesus. Michael
Bloodgood is a sinner like me, but his tenacity inspires.

I found this page about Jerusalem while searching where I
can purchase old stuff by ULF. New stuff by Stephen Groth of
APOP is good, but I am after rediscovering heritage I lost.
51 year old refuge from what everyone forgot used to be
called Yugoslavia.
I need someone to help me prod and blow the flame.

As one well known Mason said: "Take heritage from a nation
and you have destroyed a nation" Snake MARX
I firmly belive now this I also works on Church and souls of
people.

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